The Jew Jesus of Nazareth is taken by his followers as the saviour ("Messiah") and God’s son and is called Christ ("the anointed one"). He was crucified about 2,000 years ago. And yet he was the founder of a religion which in the beginning had a marked influence especially on Europe, which today represents the largest religious community in the world.
Christians like Jews and Moslems worship only one god, who however manifests himself in three different ways, as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. As the Son Incarnate of God, Jesus is said to have been born by Mary.
The faith’s religious basis is the Bible, which consists of the "Old Testament" (Jewish traditions) and the "New Testament", which contains the stories about the life of Jesus and his disciples. For the Christians, the belief in Jesus as the Messiah leads to the deliverance from sins and thereby to eternal bliss after resurrection.
Christianity split into many different denominations, among which Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant are the most important. They differ in many respects, but they all follow the holy customs (sacraments) of baptism and communion.
Illustration:
Epitaph (memorial plaque for a deceased person) for Hans Nimptsch, Königsberg 1557, painted by Heinrich Königswieser (1530-1583)
The depiction of Jesus Christ on the cross is the most important motif of the Christian doctrine, painted or sculptured as a crucifix. Jesus underwent the cruellest form of execution of the Roman era, which was intended for serious criminals, although he is considered by Christians to be the almighty Son of God. What confused disciples and believers at first is interpreted as a voluntary sacrifice made for all other human beings, thus enabling them to find their way to eternal life.
The epitaph for Hans Nimptsch once hung in Königsberg cathedral but is today in the museum of Warmia (Ermland) and Masuria, Allenstein (today's Olsztyn).